on june 12, parks was welcomed into the catholic faith with lots of love and open arms. it was a day i will always remember; so special. we had about thirty close friends and family members surrounding parks. the sacrament was held at the cathedral of saint patrick, which is the church where i re-connected with my faith when i moved to charlotte nine years ago. it was a very intimate ceremony, with just our loved ones surrounding our baby boy. afterwards, we had a celebration at our home.

here are some photos from the special day.

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

i was very young when she passed, but i remember her tenderness and gentle heart fondly

i remember her peanut butter and jelly toast {cut in four squares}, her love for mint chocolate chip ice cream, watching nick at nite, playing memory together... and most of all, how she made me feel like i was the most important person in the world with her warm embrace and calmness. there was one point during the mass {before the baptism} when i looked down to see parks sleeping and saw the sweetest baby smiles forming- they were different than normal and something told me that his loved ones in heaven were giving him small, tender embraces; hugs from above. i know my grandma is with me every single day and oh how i wish she could have seen me grow up.

yesterday, i posted about my birthday this past weekend. however, my godmother also had a birthday the day after and she posted this:

"The month of June is a special month not just because I WAS BORN, but because some of my most favorite people celebrate their birth during the same month. Growing up and sharing my birthday month with my sweet cousin Jen and our Grandma always made me feel special. I might be a few days early but I want to be the first to wish my sweet Jen a Happy Birth Day. Thanks for all the girl time over the years. Being cousins gave me the chance to have a best friend for life.

Then my aunt & uncle graced me with the privilege of being a Godmother. at the young age of 18, my goddaughter was born the day before I turned 19. Happy Birth Day to you Nelle- you are kind, thoughtful, caring, humble and so deeply sensitive to others. Thanks for teaching me as you grew up before my eyes. Happy Birth day too to my cousin, Jessica, who bounced into the birthday month with such a grin. Your smile and loving energy light up a room. Then having my youngest born in June was a true gift. I'm so proud to be your mom, Audrey. You are strong and sweet in the same breath. And Happy Birth Day to my Sweet Grandma in heaven. I miss your physical presence here so often and then in an instant I can feel you present with me.

Happy Birth Day to Us!"

{july 31, 1983}

it was the nicest message to read... especially because all of the attributes she wrote about me are what i remember most about my sweet grandma, leona. and she described my sister perfectly. i also woke up to a message from her, with photos from my baptism day, on the morning of parks' baptism. she is a woman of faith and such a genuine person. i feel blessed to have such a close-knit and loving family... and am so glad that parks does as well.

I was simply amazed at the architecture of this absolutely beautiful venue!! The environment was unbelievable. I was fortunate enough to visit an event venue Chicago like this, we found awesome things one after another after another.